The coach of New Zealand Black FernsGlenn Moore, resigned on Saturday April 16 less than six months from the Women’s Rugby World Cup at home and five days after the publication of a report criticizing his management methods.
The 62-year-old technician, who led the selection to their fifth world title in 2017, has been in the hot seat since the disclosure of this document in which he is notably accused of favoritism and making hurtful remarks by many original players. Maori or Pacific Islander.
“The decision to step down from a position I am passionate about with around six months to go before the 2022 Women’s Rugby World Cup (October 8-November 12, editor’s note) was really hard on me and my family,” said in a press release Moore, who arrived at the head of the Black Ferns seven years ago.
“We understand and respect Glenn’s decision to step down,” reacted the general manager of the New Zealand federation Mark Robinson.
An investigation had been entrusted to an independent team after accusations from hooker Te Kura Ngata-Aerengamate (30 years old, 33 selections), who had declared in December on his Instagram account to suffer from a ” nervous breakdown “ after the disastrous autumn tour in the Northern hemisphere (two heavy defeats against England, then two others against France).
“Retained to play the guitar”
She accused Moore of telling her that she “did not deserve his selection” or that she was “restrained only to play the guitar”. The coach on Saturday called the hooker’s allegations a “misleading” and placed “out of context”.
Moore specifies in his press release that he did not react earlier “out of respect for the well-being of Te Kura […] and to allow the conclusion” of the independent investigation, which according to him represents a form of “distraction, at a time when our only priority should be to optimize performance”.
According to the report, the situation during the autumn tour “was not well managed or supervised” and Te Kura Ngata-Aerengamate’s criticisms are shared by other female players, notably of Maori descent, the indigenous Polynesian population of New Zealand, or the South Pacific islands, which represent respectively half and a quarter of the effective.
The federation has not given the identity of the successor to Glenn Moore, but last week it gave a post of“technical trainer” from the Black Ferns to Wayne Smithassistant coach of the All Blacks in their last two World Cup victories (2011, 2015).
–
